Max ams



(No Model.)

M. AMS.

- METAL GAN.

No. 402,882. Patented May 7, 1889.

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MAX AMs, oE NEW YORK, N. Y.

METAL CAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,882, dated May 7,1889.

Application filed March 22, 1889.

' TovaZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MAX AMS, of New -York city, New York, have inventedan Improvement in Metal Cans, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to an improvement in metal cans and boxes, andmore particularly to the mechanism for opening the same.

The invention consists in the various features of improvement more fullypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side view of the upper partof aV can provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a vertical centralsection through the same; Fig. 3, aside view showing it partly opened;Fig. 4, a section on line cc a, Fig. l; and Fig. 5, a side View of amodification.

Vith particular reference to Figs. l to 4, the lettera represents thebody of a metal can or box, of suitable shape in cross-section, andhaving overlapping upright ends soldered one upon the other. The upperend of the box is preferably enlarged, as shown, it being provided withan olfset, a.

b is the cover provided with a ilange, b', which is received within theupper part of 'the can above the offset a, as shown in Fig. 2.

In order to provide for the ready opening of the can, I interpose aseparate strip of metal, c, between the two soldered edges of can a.

- This strip c projects partly outward and partly inward beyond theoverlapping ends of t-he can. In manufacturing the can the strip c isplaced between such ends before the latter are soldered upon each other,and thus the same operation which joins th e can-ed ges joins the stripc to the can-body.

In order to accommodate the inner or concealed end of the strip c, thebody a may be bulged slightly outward above such strip, as at a2 in Fig.4. After the can-body has been formed with the strip c in place thecover b is slipped into the upper end of the can-body and its flange bsoldered thereto. The inner face of that part of strip c that projectsinto the can-body will also be soldered to flange b by the sameoperation which connects the cover to the can. It will thus be seen thatthe proper attachment of strip c involves but a very small amount ofeXtra labor. f

Beneath the strip c the body a may be weak- Serial No. 304,334. (Nomodel.)

ened by acircumferential indented line, d,

having a cut-away end, d.

`In use the outwardly-proj ecting part of strip c is grasped by a key orby the hand, and by it the upper part of the can-bodyis torn off, as inFig. 3. It will be seen that after the overlapping ends of the can-bodyhave been torn asunder above line d the inner end of strip c is stillattached to flange b and must be torn from the latter. This prevents thestrip from becoming entirely disconnected from the can by reason of thegreat strain placed upon it during the beginning of the operation. Suchstrain will not have a tendency to disconnect the strip from body a, butfrom flange h. After the can has been opened so far that the strip hasbeen torn off the iiange b', Fig. 3, there is no more danger of thestrip coming off the body a.

In Fig. 5 the flange b2 of the cover overlaps the upper edge of body a,in lieu of being inclosed by the can-body. In this modiication twoindented lines, d2 d3, are formed,

and between them the strip c is secured in such a way as to partlyprojectbeyond the overlapping ends of body a, as previously described..The concealed part of strip cis in this modification not soldered tothe flange b2,

of the cover, but to the inner face of body a. Of course in thismodication the strain on the strip c while opening the can will have atendency to detach the strip from body a. In this respect theconstruction shown in Figs. l to 4 is to be preferred. i

An important feature of this invention is that the strips c may bestamped out of small pieces of waste. Heretofore when the cans wereopened by a projecting tongue made in one piece with the can-blank alarge amount of metal had to be wasted for the purpose of cutting outthe tongue.

Vhat I claim is- 1. The combination of a can-body having overlappingupright ends, with a strip placed- -between such ends and projectingoutwardly from the same, the ends being soldered 'to each4 other and tothe strip, substantially as speci-l fied.

2. The combination of a can-body having overlapping upright ends, withastrip, c, placed between'such ends and projecting partly outwardly andpartly inwardly from the same,

IOO

the ends being soldered to eaeh other and to the strip, substantially asspecified.

3. The combination of a eau-body having overlapping ends, with cover b,havingilange b', that is received by the can-body, and with a strip, c,placed between the overlappin g ends, the strip c being soldered toflange b' and to the overlapping ends of the ean-body, substantially asspecified.

4. The combination of can-body a, having 1o offset a and indented lined, with the cover b, having flange b', and with the strip c, seeuredpartly to the can-body and partly to flange b', substantially specified.

MAX AMS. Vitnesses:

F. V. BRIESEN, A. JONGHMANS.

